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AOL to Give Away Spammer's Porsche

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the high-volume-email-deployers dept.

introverted writes "CNN is reporting that AOL is giving away a spammer's Porsche. As part of a settlement with a spammer, AOL took the spammer's Porsche Boxster S, and they're running a sweepstakes (already ended) to give the car away."

36 of 140 comments (clear)

  1. Late! by awx · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Is this three or four weeks old now?

    --
    Feel that power? That's mah MOUSING FINGER
    1. Re:Late! by ExTycho · · Score: 5, Funny

      quite late, ah well /. usually get there quicker, so give them credit for that.

      but yeah.. this is *exactly* how to deal with spammers.. they've been offering us penis extentions for the last decade.. now its time to take theirs away!!

    2. Re:Late! by swordboy · · Score: 5, Informative

      Not late, just a DUPE!

      --

      Life is the leading cause of death in America.
    3. Re:Late! by blowdart · · Score: 2, Funny

      Spammers send the same message multiple times, so posting this spammer story multiple times is fitting, no?

    4. Re:Late! by Halfbaked+Plan · · Score: 2, Funny

      The slashdot editors are spamming us with this story.

      Ummm, what kind of car does Cowboy Neal drive??

      Raffle, anybody?

      --
      resigned
  2. The duke of dupes! by nordicfrost · · Score: 3, Funny


    This was in the mainstream media, even. And Slashdot.

    1. Re:The duke of dupes! by AndroidCat · · Score: 5, Informative

      Slashdot is mainstream media, acording to news.google.com. It's pretty scary doing a search to find more news on a Slashdot story, and the first link on Google is back to Slashdot. That's just not right.

      --
      One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
  3. Fascinating!! by hog2 · · Score: 4, Funny

    More info is available here.

    --
    --Kirk
  4. Old article - but it is an update by Karl+Prince · · Score: 2, Funny

    Let's hope the winner know's someone with a driving licence...

    --

    mailto:EatSpamAndDie@princeweb.com
    1. Re:Old article - but it is an update by LauraScudder · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I smelled bullshit rule. Check it out, license and licence are mearly variant spellings of the same word. There is no noun verb rule with them. I don't like the variant, since it makes much more sense to inflect license -> licensed than licence -> licensed.

  5. Bio-Hazard by AndroidCat · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's probably got spammer cooties.

    --
    One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
  6. Speaking of March 30th, let me just say... by chimpo13 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Does it come with a CD Multiplayer? And any guesses what they'll fill it with?

    mark my words
    Slashdotters are laughing now, but just wait until the RIAA/MPAA take a cue from AOL and start liquidating pirates assets...

    I'd continue the cutting & pasting of +5 mods, but I'm far too lazy. Thanks Claws Of Doom and WormholeFiend for me stealing the first +5 comments.

    --
    riding round the world on an old motorcycle
    1. Re:Speaking of March 30th, let me just say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Slashdotters are laughing now, but just wait until the RIAA/MPAA take a cue from AOL and start liquidating pirates assets...

      What good will basements full of used CD-Rs do anyone?

    2. Re:Speaking of March 30th, let me just say... by Ryosen · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Fortunately for the rest of us, The **AA is not a legislative body or law enfocement agency.

      The sooner people remember this small fact, the sooner they can stop worrying about their parents' basement.

      --

      Ryosen
      One man's "Troll, +1" is another man's "Insightful, +1".
    3. Re:Speaking of March 30th, let me just say... by Halfbaked+Plan · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Are you saying AOL is a legislative body or law enforcement agency?

      That will be a scary day, incidentally. They own a big chunk of 'land' in cyberspace already...

      --
      resigned
  7. Re:I would rather by SB5 · · Score: 3, Funny

    I would have liked to give the man a free castration.

    I am not a doctor, so I would probably botch it badly.

    --
    If what you are reading sounds funny, or sarcastic, lame, or stupid
    it is because it is supposed to be. just laugh
  8. The Ultimate Spam by jstrain · · Score: 4, Funny

    Is your penis too small? Do you strike out with the ladies? Forget those pills, pumps, and creams that never work! What you need to increase your manhood isn't in a bottle. When you need to overcompensate due to phallic insecurity, choose the solution that over 50% of males age 26-45 rely on. Get a Porsche!

    1. Re:The Ultimate Spam by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Actually, way fewer than 50% rely on a Porsche. Maybe 0.5% do.

      The rest rely on web porn.

    2. Re:The Ultimate Spam by ilumits · · Score: 2, Funny


      It's difficult being a male looking for a new car these days.

      -If you purchase a large sedan, you're old.
      -If you purchase a small sedan, you're gay.
      -If you purchase a minivan, you're whipped.
      -If you purchase either a sports car, SUV, or large pickup truck, you have a small penis.

      What does that leave? A Schwinn?

  9. Re:I would rather by Choron · · Score: 2, Funny

    You can have that too, you'll just have to wait for the second sweepstake where you can win all the guy's personal data, including his address :)

    How about greeting him with a "Do you feel lucky, punk ?" when he opens the door ?

    --
    "Naughty, naughty, naughty, you filthy old soomka !"
  10. THE AOL PR FORCE IS STRONG LUKE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    AOL are getting their Porsche $ back 100 times over with all this free publicity, perhaps spam is a good thing they are thinking ?

  11. Unusual punishment? by GillBates0 · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Okay, this isn't exactly a punishment meted out by law enforcement authorities, but even then, isn't it unusual for a corporation to "sieze" a person's (albeit a spammer's) car?

    Maybe he got a better deal by giving away his car rather than an equivalent amount in money - but how'd they reach the settlement amount? Had the spammer's actions caused enough damage to AOL to justify the $1million settlement claim? My guess would be that the spammer's actions cost them bandwidth and diskspace - but are they justified in charging him the amount just because their users didn't delete the junk soon enough or their filters are lame?

    Not I'm justifying spam or spammers...but if they reach an out of court settlement for a million dollars, on the grounds that they won't pursue a lawsuit against him - it sounds an awful lot like extortion to me. I would like to see the damages of $1million justified in public - otherwise every crook company (we have plenty of them - RIAA/SCO/etc) could go around threatening people with lawsuits (which the individuals couldn't afford) and demand out-of-court settlements and the people being sued would have no choice but to pay up unless they had resources to pursue their case in court.

    --
    An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
    1. Re:Unusual punishment? by swb · · Score: 4, Funny

      My guess is that it was all they could get ahold of.

      1) File lawsuit against spammer.

      2) File motion to freeze spammers assets. Make case that spammer has shown willingness to be sneaky, underhanded, pushing fraudulent products, etc and that its necessary to ensure spammer has viable assets should plaintiff win.

      3) Win case. Spammer's business assets are near zero except for car, which couldn't be sold due to freeze. Everything else is leased/rented or of zero salable value. AOL agrees to take car before spammer decides to park it on street with keys in ignition to spite AOL.

      4) Spammer goes to farm field owned under another corporate umbrella, digs up cash vacuum sealed in plastic sacks stuffed in PVC pipes. Pays attorney and re-starts spamming business.

      5) AOL sells car, claims "victory" in war on spam.

    2. Re:Unusual punishment? by leviramsey · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Ask any plaintiff's attorney. If the case goes to trial, the odds are very much against the plaintiff winning.

      The objective of the plaintiff's attorney is thus not to win at trial but to convince the defendant that pushing the case to trial is not worth it and settle.

      More often than not, the defendant in this case is a corporation. Cf. the breast implant class actions of ten years ago. Dow Corning etc. would have almost certainly won at trial (the evidence demonstrating liability was and is virtually nonexistent). However, they realized that it would cost billions to fight it in court, so paying a settlement would be the better deal.

      What I propose is some form of loser pays. How's this for a novel idea: have each legal team submit a weekly summation of how much they're claiming in legal costs that week. At the end of the trial, the figures are totaled. The percentage of jurors that found for the defendant determines the percentage of the total cost paid by the plaintiff and vice-versa. Thus, if it's 8-4 in favor of the defendant, then the plaintiff has to foot 2/3 of the total legal cost for both sides, with the defendant footing the remainder.

  12. ~The Essence of Slashdot~ by Freston+Youseff · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Where it is "funny" to talk about shooting a spammer in the face, whereas you get Karma Kastrated for suggesting the same thing for a evil shitbag like Ralph Nader.

    --

  13. Re:I would rather by stor · · Score: 3, Funny

    Settle mao che minh, people might think you have a weak member and are trying to compensate.

    So anyway, friend, if you _do_ have problems similar to the above, or know anyone that does, there's this stuff I've heard about that i'm sure you'd be interested in: Ci@lis. It's great. Did wonders for me. Like vi@gr4 but better! Lasts all weekend! Buy one now! It's the best! It works wonders. Gives you a surging er3c71.on, healthier physique, feeds the pets, buys dinner, and frees you from SP4.M! Click on the link below for this 3xclus1.ve 0ff.er: buy one get one free!

    Your friend,
    xxOIJ4.HEUUl7@hotmail.com

    --
    "Yeah well there's a lot of stuff that should be, but isn't"
  14. Isn't it ironic, dont'cha think by Ilan+Volow · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wouldn't it be ironic if the spammer was the one sending those "GET OUT OF DEBT NOW!" messages.

    --
    Ergonomica Auctorita Illico!
  15. Yeah it's a dupe but.... by SlashdotMakesMeKool · · Score: 3, Funny
    Cowboy Neil can't resist the posts with the little piggy on them.

    SQWEAL for the cowboy!!!!!

    --

  16. Re:I would rather by fatphil · · Score: 4, Funny

    A doctor would know not to use a Magnum to perform the castration.

    You're not a doctor, so ...

    --
    Also FatPhil on SoylentNews, id 863
  17. ahhhhhhhhh.... I'm being spammed by slashdot!!!! by night_flyer · · Score: 3, Funny

    maybe I can take one of their cars!

    ::looks out window and sees their 1975 Pinto Wagon ::

    Nevermind...

    --


    Thanks to file sharing, I purchase more CDs
    Thanks to the RIAA, I buy them used...
  18. Here's The Downside... by bfg9000 · · Score: 3, Funny

    The guy's life reads like a spam-filled success story. If I post this article at work, we'll lose 10 people tomorrow.

    "Hi everybody, I'm Robin Leach, and I'm here today looking at the gorgeous 20 million dollar home of [insert spammers name here]!! It's a fabulous castle bought with all that email money, because spamming REALLY DOES WORK!!! Of course, he had the cheapest mortgage on the planet! Boy, he's more loaded than half of Hollywood, and it's like he didn't even work for it! With spam, he seems to MAKE MONEY OVERNIGHT!!! While you stupid peasants are out there slaving away, he's clicking "Send Now" and watching his fabulous dragon's mound of gold coins pile ever higher! He's so smart, he doesn't even need a spellchecker! He has a stable of Porsches and a stable of lovely ladies! And that huge penis of his is a favorite around town! He has no problems meeting ladies because Spamming REALLY DOES WORK!!" He's living the American Dream, and I'm just poor fat old Robin Leach!!!

    --

    I'm not normally an irrational zealous dickhead, but I figure "When in Rome..."

  19. Why the Porsche you say? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The Porsche was probably part of the liquidation of assets. If they guy didn't have enough hard cash to pay the settlement/award to AOL, AOL can then start liquidating his assets to get all the money they were awarded. I don't know who gets to choice which particular assets get "disposed" of, but I guess AOL worked with the government to just keep the Porsche as a Porsche and not convert it into cash. The spammer probably made out on the deal also, as I believe the cost of turning assets back to cash would have been charged to the spammer. So instead of converted the $40K Porcshe into $30K cash or whatever someone would have bought it for minus the cost of selling it, the spammer probably got the full 'value' out of it.

  20. Re:Here's where we talked about it already by The+Human+Cow · · Score: 3, Funny

    Am I the only one who thinks it's funny that a link to the dupe got marked redundant?

    --
    The Human Cow - bringing you scrumtrelescence since 1995
  21. valid usernames by samhalliday · · Score: 3, Funny
    (from article)
    NEW YORK (AP) -- America Online said its members have submitted more than one million AOL screen names for the Internet company' s unorthodox drawing for a spammer' s seized sportscar.

    aaah, one million valid email addresses for phase two! WARRRAARARRAGAAARRAAGG!!

  22. Great idea! by arvindn · · Score: 4, Funny

    1. Announce sweepstakes for spammer's porsche
    2. Get people to sign up; collect email addresses
    3. Sell email addresses
    4. Profit!

  23. Would you want it early? by WinterpegCanuck · · Score: 2, Funny

    Actually, I am kind of proud of this being old news. Re-affirms my hopes that not many /. users get, let alone read, their monthly AOL-Members Newsletter. *sniff*